Thoughts from the interface of science, religion, law and culture

After spending several years touring the country as a stand up comedian, Ed Brayton tired of explaining his jokes to small groups of dazed illiterates and turned to writing as the most common outlet for the voices in his head. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and the Thom Hartmann Show, and is almost certain that he is the only person ever to make fun of Chuck Norris on C-SPAN.

Science blogs

EVENTS

The Real Welfare Queens

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, almost certain to be the Republican nominee for governor later this year, is putting out a book in which he claims that the Democrats use Social Security, Medicare, food stamps and other forms of assistance to get them elected and gain power:

“Sometimes bad politicians set out to grow government in order to increase their own power and influence. This phenomenon doesn’t just happen in Washington; it happens at all levels of government. The amazing this is that they often grow government without protest from citizens, and sometimes they even get buy-in from citizens — at least from the ones getting the goodies.

“One of their favorite ways to increase their power is by creating programs that dispense subsidized government benefits, such as Medicare, Social Security, and outright welfare (Medicaid, food stamps, subsidized housing, and the like). These programs make people dependent on government. And once people are dependent, they feel they can’t afford to have the programs taken away, no matter how inefficient, poorly run, or costly to the rest of society.”

— “Citizens will vote for those politicians who promise more benefits each year, rather than the fiscally responsible politicians who try to point out that such programs are unsustainable and will eventually bankrupt the states or the nation.

You mean like when politicians promise big corporations that they’ll put a tax break into a bill, secure them a government contract or water down regulations that affect them, any of which can put billions of dollars into that corporation’s bank accounts? Because that kind of welfare, the corporate kind, is far more likely to bring in huge contributions that help candidates win elections than $800 a month Social Security checks or enough food stamps to feed one person for a couple weeks.

The real welfare queens are corporate CEOs and boards of directors, who spend millions of dollars lining the pockets of politicians of both parties, and promising lucrative positions to government regulators, in order to get billions of dollars in taxpayer money. But by all means, let’s focus on poor and elderly people scraping by on Social Security. They’re the problem, amirite?

The real welfare queens are corporate CEOs and boards of directors, who spend millions of dollars lining the pockets of politicians of both parties, and promising lucrative positions to government regulators, in order to get billions of dollars in taxpayer money.

But that’s the Job Creators™ promoting the Meritocracy®. If anything, zero tax is too much! We should pay them!

“But by all means, let’s focus on poor and elderly people scraping by on Social Security. They’re the problem, amirite?”
You forgot the illegals. And the sluts.

But by all means, let’s focus on poor and elderly people scraping by on Social Security. They’re the problem, amirite?

Ironically, that is not only an effective election strategy, it actually gets votes from many people who are collecting Social Security and Medicare. Because they earned their entitlements. It’s everyone else who are “takers”.

Well, yeah, people tend to vote for the leaders who give them the most beneficial and workable policies. I guess that’s a problem for a party that’s so far out of touch with reality that they CAN’T come up with any beneficial policies.

Oh well, they can always pack up and move to North Korea — no one bribing voters with social security there, amirite?

Given that Republican voters disproportionately benefit from Medicare and Social Security [1], this argument is outright incoherent. However incoherent doesn’t mean it won’t resonate with the Republican base, including the retiree “takers” who receive both entitlements.

I’m guessing Cuccinelli is unaware of the 2009 banking looti crash and stories like this one? (big bonuses for directors even though they need unimaginable (170billion) dollars of bailout funds from the people of this here country?

Koo koo Ken was also formally a member of the Virginia State Senate so he accrued retirement benefits from that activity, in addition to the AG.

Of, perhaps more pertinent history, Koo koo Ken has also conducted a witch hunt against former UVA professor Michael Mann, now at Penn State, over the latter’s work on global climate change. In short, Koo koo Ken is a fuckken asshole and hopefully his governorship candidacy will be unsuccessful.

You know, sometimes, when I’m feeling a little less than charitable towards asswipes like Kennyboil Cuckoo Fuckwaddington III, I wish that they might experience a brief period, say a week, of quadripeligic paralysis–just so that they know what it’s like to be at the mercy of their policy prescriptions. However, most of the time, I wish the state of paralysis would be permanent. I know, I’m a meanie.

Obviously all those entitlement programs will bankrupt the government. The solution is to trash all those programs for the leeches… but what to do with all the starving people on the street, crapping themselves and touching door handles and speed bumping tourism?

*snaps fingers*

I know! They can join the military and kill brown people! Or they can become part of a special project: Soylent Green!

Ironically, that is not only an effective election strategy, it actually gets votes from many people who are collecting Social Security and Medicare. Because they earned their entitlements. It’s everyone else who are “takers”.

One of their favorite ways to increase their power is by creating programs that dispense subsidized government benefits, such as Medicare, Social Security, and outright welfare (Medicaid, food stamps, subsidized housing, and the like).

1. There are two government programs that are wildly popular. Social Security and Medicare.

2. Especially among the GOP base, old white christofascists.

3. Kookcinelli is running for governor of Virginia, not president of the USA. A governor has zero say on Social Security, food stamps, or Medicare.

Basically he is just doing a Romney, babbling on about the 47% moochers. And how did that work for Romney now?

Hah, I was just pointing out this fact to a nascent atheist today who said that R was the party of small gov’t. That’s what they say, but they lie. They lie in the shadow of the biggov they keep building, and cry about redistribution of wealth while they had it over to corps who hand some back to them.

If the GOP elite & the upper-class they serve were sincere they would come clean say that for them civilization is about forcing 95% of the population to do back-breaking labor so that the remaining 5% can eat, drink, play and fuck while doing as little effort as possible. And that’s never going to happen because the last thing they want is to give the plebs a good reason to slaughter them.

I wonder if people like this have ever spoken to someone on welfare, and asked them if they like living on such low amounts of money and being dependant on the government, or if they would prefer a job and income of their own

Cuccinelli is a bright, shining beacon of everything that is detestable about the Republican party. Not that I’m into giving Republicans useful electoral advice, but here it is: Be the exact opposite of this man.

What seems to zoom right past the brainpans (yeah, I know, small target) of the ReiKKKwing Indignoranti is that people don’t become cheeturs and krimnulz cuz they’re on teh welfare. They were already bad people and bad people will always find a way to game the system.